Compare the environmental impact of using solar, geothermal, and nuclear energy.

All energy sources have some impact on our environment. Fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas - do substantially more harm than renewable energy sources by most measures, including air and water pollution, damage to public health, wildlife and habitat loss, water use, land use, and global warming emissions.

Solar and geothermal energy are both considered renewable energy sources. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, is a nonrenewable energy source. Nuclear, solar, and geothermal energy are all low sources of air pollution and do not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Nuclear and geothermal energy both heat up water to produce electricity. Nuclear energy requires a mining step to obtain the raw material used to produce energy, while solar and geothermal energy do not require mining. Nuclear energy produces nuclear waste, while solar and geothermal energy do not produce a significant amount of waste.